Ground has been broken for a new Campus Master Plan,
Sports City and Rectorate Tower.

Located to the east of central Rome, Tor Vergata University
currently has a 1,480 acre campus serving 38,700 students in six
schools: economics, law, engineering, arts and humanities, medicine
and science.

Calatrava's master plan for the campus, conceived with conscious
reference to the Circus Maximus, is designed as a long promenade,
bordered along its entire length by a double row of cypresses. At
one end will be the new Sports City; at the other, the Rectorate of
Tor Vergata University. A large urban park, linking the University
with Sports City, will become a forum for meetings and social and
cultural events.

Other buildings, to be developed later, will ultimately line the
avenue, providing accommodations for students and housing new
university faculties.

Image courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLC
Sports City, to be developed in an area close to the Torrenova
access to the Rome-Naples highway, will be comprised of two
identical fan-shaped pavilions, arranged symmetrically, and a
series of external infrastructure works to complete and complement
the development. One of the pavilions will house the multi-purpose
arena (Palasport); the other will accommodate the swimming pools
(Palanuoto). The buildings will be functionally independent and
therefore able to host different events at the same time.

Image courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLCImage courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLCImage courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLCImage courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLC
The Palanuoto/Palasport complex will also contain gymnasia,
laboratories, classrooms, teaching facilities, and a fitness and
rehabilitation center, as well as offices and shops. Externally,
the sporting area will be rounded off with a track for track and
field events and an open-air swimming pool.

Image courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLCImage courtesy Santiago Calatrav,
LLC
The essential element of the Rectorate, to be located at the
opposite end of the main axis, is a tower, configured as a spiral
winding around itself to produce a unified space that appears to
stretch upward. The tower's vertical profile is accentuated by
metallic columns, which both constitute the structure and mark its
shape. The design is transparent, so that the tower can draw light
from the surrounding glazed surfaces and also (when illuminated at
night) become a light source in itself.

A harmonious whole will be achieved in the campus by the presence
of water, which will be a constant feature around the buildings and
throughout the park. All architecture along the central promenade
will be characterized by the transparency of the buildings, with
alternating solid surfaces and glazed sections creating softly
diffused light in the interiors and striking lighting effects
externally, accentuated by reflections from the water. The
landscaping will create a familiar setting, with the use of
Mediterranean species such as cluster pines, false acacias and
olive trees.

Sports City is scheduled for completion in time for the World
Swimming Championships, to be hosted by Rome in 2009.